From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2008-09-17 16:47:33 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] learning a bit about white petroleum jelly/white petrolatum
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Okay, I have had someone sending links that don't work or don't say
what the person said they do, but i DID learn a lot about petroleum
jelly so how about if we all learn?
Forgive all the quote marks, please. They are from a series of
replies I sent.
>
> http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jeceval/jec_1856.htm
was sent but it says nothing that appears to relate the one of the
person's points (to ask the pharmacist directly for ingestion grade
petrolatum/white petroleum jelly) while it negates a second one of the
points made privately because the term Vaseline is used for white
petroleum jelly. (Remember, though that the company also makes
products which add other things that may be less safe or unsafe for
ingestion to some of their other products, as with their lotions.)
>> Summary of Evaluations Performed by the
>> Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
>>
>> PETROLEUM JELLY
>> INS: 905b
>> Chemical names: PURIFIED MIXTURE OF SEMI-SOLID SATURATED
>> HYDROCARBONS,MAINLY OF PARAFFINIC NATURE, OBTAINED FROM PETROLEUM
>> Synonyms: VASELINE; PETROLATUM
>> Functional class: RELEASE AGENT; LUBRICANT; PROTECTIVE COATING;
>> ANTIFOAMINGAGENT...
>>
>>
>
>
> so that says NOTHING about use of petrolatum as a veterinary
> laxative, nor anything about how one petrolatum might differ from
> another.
>
> I already DID search on ingestion for this and did not find
> veterinary cautions except when very extreme amounts were used (and
> that wasn't members of Carnivora); instead I found it repeated used
> to help the animals when they had ingested certain types of things
> they should not.
> Now, I will look up YELLOW and BROWN petrolatum (not called
> Vaseline) to be thorough. Ah, actually, I find that info very
> accessible here:
>
> http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics1440.htm
>
> Notice that the YELLOW and the BROWN (INDUSTRIAL ONLY) petrolatums
> are carcinogenic so not used for any type of pharmacological use.
>
>> The substance consists of saturated hydrocarbons with carbon
>> numbers mainly higher than 25. Its composition depends upon the
>> petroleum source and refining process. Highly refined (White
>> Petrolatum) grades are used in pharmacy and cosmetics. Less refined
>> grades (Yellow, amber or brown Petrolatum) are used industrially
>> and may contain impurities such as carcinogenic polycyclic
>> aromatics. Therefore, the European Union applies the risk phrase R
>> 45 (May cause cancer) with Note N to petrolatum. Note N reads ''the
>> classification as a carcinogen need not apply if the full refining
>> history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which
>> it is produced is not a carcinogen. This note applies to certain
>> complex oil-derived substances in Annex I''.
>
>
> It would not surprise me if some types of white petrolatum and
> mineral oil might be packaged under extra-clean circumstances
> because i have to use certain grades for my eyes.
>>>
>>> >
>>> > the mentioned resource does not exist as written or in
>>> > variations. So, trying to find resources:
>>> > http://www.medications.com/drugs/vaseline
>>> > where
>>> > petrolatum
>>> > is listed as the content for at least one of the products
>>> > and then
>>> > http://www.medications.com/drugs/petroleum-jelly
>>> > where the contents on petroleum jelly is also listed as
>>> > petrolatum
>>> > so on to the Materials Safety Data Sheet:
>>> > http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Petrolatum_white-9927388
>>> > which says
>>> > >Product Name: Petrolatum, white
>>> > and also says
>>> > >Synonym: White Vaseline; White Protopet; Vasoliment;
>>> > Vaseline; Ultima White; Saxoline; Snow White; Petroleum
>>> > Jelly; Protopet, white; Mineral Jelly, Mineral Fat, Mineral
>>> > Wax; Paraffin Jelly
>>> >
>>> > and more, including:
>>> >
>>> > >Potential Acute Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of
>>> skin contact (irritant), of
>>> eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of
>>> > inhalation.
...
>>>
>>> > Repeated or prolonged exposure is not known to aggravate medical
>>> condition.
>>> >
>>> > and later
>>> > >Ingestion [human]:
>>> > Do NOT induce vomiting unless directed to do so by medical
>>> personnel. Never give
>>> anything by mouth to an
>>> > unconscious person. If large quantities of this material are
>>> swallowed, call a physician
>>> immediately. Loosen tight
>>> > clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband.
>>> > Serious Ingestion: Not available.
>>>
Notice that the cautions are for humans who have ingested large
amounts, and others are for the yellow and brown grades of petroleum
jelly which you won't find sold for the types of laxative use under
discussion because they are industrial lubricants only.
If someone knows of an expert toxicological veterinary reference that
applies to ferrets, or even to a close enough relative beyond PLEASE,
send the URL.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_ask_peoplemedicine&s_state=petroleumjelly
is the only one I can find and the cautions are logical ones for
unsupervised ingestion, but no one here was talking about unsupervised
ingestion:
> Petroleum jelly products contain petrolatum, which can cause
> gastrointestinal upset and have a laxative effect. And while not as
> volatile as other hydrocarbons, petroleum jelly may pose a slight
> risk for aspiration pneumonia if it gets inhaled into the lungs (via
> initial ingestion or vomiting). Based on this information, we
> advise keeping petrolatum products out of the reach of your pets.
This is the closest i could find to any studies involving petrolatum
and Mustela of any species but doesn't raise flags for me when
compared to other related abstracts:
BEGIN QUOTE
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1994 Apr;26(3):374-80.Links
The efficacy of mineral oil combined with feed restriction in
enhancing the elimination of heptachlor epoxide from mink (Mustela
vison).
Crum JA, Aulerich RJ, Polin D, Braselton WE, Bursian SJ.
Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing
48824.
Adult female mink previously fed diets containing 0 (control) and 6.25
mg heptachlor/kg diet for 181 days were fed either the same control
diet ad libitum (AL) or the control diet containing 10% mineral oil
and restricted by 45% of ad libitum intake (MO/R) for 21 days to
determine the efficacy of the latter treatment in enhancing the
elimination of heptachlor epoxide (HE) from mink. Kit mink (2-3 months
of age) whelped by dams of the control and 6.25 mg/kg groups were also
fed the MO/R or AL diets for 21 days. Daily consumption (g/kg bw/day)
of the AL diet by kit mink was significantly greater than consumption
of the same diet by the adult females. Body weights of the control
adults and the control and 6.25 mg/kg kits were significantly reduced
by feeding the MO/R diet. Two adults from the control group and one
adult from the 6.25 mg/kg group fed the MO/R diet died during the 21-
day period. No mortalities occurred in kit mink fed either diet.
Administration of the MO/R diet caused a significant reduction in body
fat of the control adults and kits, but not in the 6.25 mg/kg adults
and kits. Decreases in body fat of the MO/R groups were not associated
with greater elimination of HE when compared to the AL groups.
(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
PMID: 8161234
END QUOTE
in which they were hoping to find a solution for the toxic aspects of
heptachlor, an insecticide, as per below study and several others:
BEGIN QUOTE
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1990 Nov-Dec;19(6):913-6.Links
Subacute toxicity of dietary heptachlor to mink (Mustela vison).
Aulerich RJ, Bursian SJ, Napolitano AC.
Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing
48824.
Mink were fed diets that contained 0, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg
active ingredient heptachlor (as technical grade formulation) for 28
days followed by a 7-day observation period to determine the toxicity
of this insecticide to mink. Diets that contained 25 mg/kg, or more,
heptachlor resulted in a significant decrease in feed consumption,
while 50 mg/kg, or more, heptachlor caused a significant reduction in
body weights. Mortality (37.5%) occurred only in the group fed 100 mg/
kg heptachlor. The dead mink showed neurological signs of toxicity
prior to death. Animals fed 100 mg/kg heptachlor also had reduced
relative weights of the spleen and kidney and increased relative
weight of the adrenal glands when necropsied at the time of death or
at the termination of the study.
PMID: 2256705
END QUOTE
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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